Irvine is the largest town in what is a far more urban seat than the neighbouring North division. It is the only new town to be sited on the coast in Britain and like Cumbernauld grew up to accommodate the overspill of Glasgow's population. High-tech industries and call centres are increasingly important. There is a high proportion of council house tenants - 55% at the last census. But after the right-to-buy scheme this is a significant decrease on the 1981 census figure of 76%. However, unlike the southern English new towns, the growth of the property-owning classes here has not been accompanied by a change in political representation.

The seat is working-class in character with a varied industrial base and a tradition of Labour voting. Irene Oldfather became the MSP in 1999 with a majority of 6,541. The SNP candidate is the party's education spokesman Mike Russell, who at the first Scottish eleciton became a regional list MSP.